The Problem With Genos
by Thatpessimisticcat
Summary: Basically a rant in the form of a shipping. I accept requests! Please feel free to comment/PM me!
1. Do You Even Feel?

A lot of these questions are ones that I've often asked myself about him because HE MAKES NO SENSE. As a biology student, I may have included a lot of revision for my mocks by doing this little piece (Who says that fanfiction can't be educational?) But anyway. Hope you enjoy, and as always please like, comment and review!

"Genos?"

The blonde cyborg looked up at the young girl, sitting across the table from him. Her notepad was open in her lap, a pen poised above it. Inwardly, he sighed. He couldn't believe that Sensei had actually let her stay in the flat with them. "(Y/N)-san."

She frowned slightly, her nose crinkling up in annoyance, and huffed, pointing the tip of the pen at him. "You make no sense whatsoever, you know that?"

"I do not understand your statement," he said bluntly, pointedly looking back down at his book. But the female wouldn't stop pestering him, and irritation began to worm its way into his brain.

"Your physiology! Your materials! They make no sense!" You threw the pen down onto the table, tracing your index along the lines of your writing as you spoke, brow furrowed. "You have no oesophagus, no stomach even, but you still eat! You're made of metal, so there should according to my calculations be no room for all of your organs! You got blown half to bits by that freaky fish guy-"

"The sea king," he corrected her. She waved a hand in his direction, her lip curling in disgust.

"Yeah, whatever. But you should have died! Nothing should be able to withstand that much damage to a vital area of the human anatomy and get away with it! And speaking of anatomy," she stabbed the page and glared up at him, "There is no material on earth that can replicate human skin and yet still act as a ceramic armour the way your face does!" She snapped the book shut and slammed it onto the table, pointing at him.

"You're a... an anomaly, a paradox, a riddle with no straightforward answer! And it's so ANNOYING!"

Genos was perturbed by the actions of his companion, and less than surprised. After all, she had been pestering him about his physiology ever since she had arrived on Sensei's doorstep, three weeks ago. His hearing detected a slight change in her pulse, and he deemed it fit to speak. "Why do you want to know all of this, (Y/N)-san? I am sure that there are many websites to explain the phenomenon of my physical make – up."

"I want to know how you can feel." She leaned forward and rested her chin in her hand, staring at him intensely. It made him... uncomfortable? Self-aware? There was no word in his dictionary for it. Or his thesaurus. Or, indeed, any number of books that he had programmed to be stored in his brain. "How do your sense – receptors work, without any stimuli?" She reached out and tapped his arm. "If I do _this_ –" His metallic arm _dinked_ under her nail – "Are you even aware of it, without sense receptors? Can you sense _that_

-" She squeezed his wrist – "Does the message travel to your brain along wires, or is there a special electric current used to mimic sensory and motor neurons?"

"A very slight electric current travels through my metallic parts," he admitted, pulling his arm away from the girl's reach. Her touch had... had disturbed him in some way, as though it was a much stronger electrical impulse being sent through his entire body. It unnerved him. "But you forget that I still have nervous cells. Cyborg does not mean fully robot."

"But then how do you describe _this?_ " She shuffled around the low table and tugged at his face, cupping it to yank it this way and that, inspecting it before Genos jerked himself away, flinching in shock and surprise, stunned that she had even dared to reach out to him like that. How rude! But also how – his stomach region seemed to be filling with a sensation not unlike a hot liquid, slowly making its way downwards – strangely thrilling it had seemed, like – like –

Genos gave up. "I must insist that you do not touch me like that again," he said stiffly. Even if he could still feel her soft hand on his cheek.

You just humphed and crossed your arms, flicking your hair out of the way of your eyes impatiently. "It's unlike anything that exists. I can't believe that that's manmade. I refuse to believe it!" She pouted for a bit, but then her eyes deepened slightly, a small frown line appearing over her eyebrows. "Can you even feel anything on your face? I mean, you flinched when I touched it..."

Genos looked away, his expression outwardly unreadable as he promptly stood up and moved away from her. Inwardly, his emotions were boiling over, nerves, fear, annoyance, incomprehension and many, many others. How could he describe to her the sensation that her hands had left on his cold, shiny steel arms, or the feathery prickling that was still fading down along his synthetic jaw, when he himself could not find the words?

Which is why when his Sensei came in with the shopping, Genos rushed to help him prepare a meal, purposefully throwing himself into his tasks without a care. After all, he was a nineteen-year-old cyborg, and she was... she was...

You watched Genos without him noticing, eyes widening as you covered your mouth with your hands before looking away, blushing. You could describe all of your emotions, even if he couldn't describe his own.

"Sensei?"

"Hmm?" Saitama was lounging on the floor, watching the tv, but looked up at his disciple who was sitting rigidly with his legs crossed and (Y/N)'s notebook in his lap.

"What's up, Genos-kun?" The girl had gone to bed in the room next to them a while ago, complaining that she was sleepy.

Genos looked uncomfortable, staring down at the page on his lap. "If I call out some words which describe an emotion, would you be able to put a name to them?"

Saitama sat up and stretched, yawning. "I guess I could try..."

"The first sentence: An uncomfortable self-awareness around another person, which heightens as they look at you."

The One Punch Man looked bewildered. "Uhh, maybe go onto the next one..."

"The second sentence: A touch which disturbs, but thrills at the same time, and lingers."

Saitama's face was blank. Genos sighed, and went onto the last conflicting emotion.

"The final sentence: A desire to be around a certain person, at the same time opposed by guilt." He looked up. "Sensei?"

"Genos-kun," Saitama said, slowly, "Would you say that you like (Y/N)-san a lot?"

"I cannot entirely describe my emotions towards her," the cyborg admitted. Saitama's face lit up in a knowing grin, and he nudged Genos with his elbow.

"I think I know the emotion that you're looking for, and it's called lovestruck." He laughed at Genos's dumbstruck face and lay down again, smiling. "Who would have thought it? Seems she has quite the thing for you, as well," he added, peering into the open page on Genos's lap. "Ohh, possibly there could be something between the two of you... Best to leave it for tonight, Genos-kun. Come on, you still need to eat your udon."

Genos looked at the drawing of him one more time, and read the inscription beneath:

 _Genos is very difficult to draw correctly – so many metal parts! I wonder if he can feel – would he feel the same way about me if he could? – Maybe confront him about his components soon and find out- Love? Nothing? Idk._

"Lovestruck," he mumbled. He snapped the book shut and placed it in the exact same position that he had found it in, correct to the nearest degree. Then he ate his udon.

Haah. Saitama is hard to write for. You know in the sub how he goes "Ohhhh" in understanding, surprise etc.? How do you write for that?


	2. Cookings Of Regret

Okay, I'll admit it: I wasn't really expecting this story to take off as well as it did. Now you've got me into a tight corner, I might as well continue on, what do you guys say?

Ah well. Secretly I get a kick out of taking the piss out of Genos' innocent gullibility. So, onwards and ... em, upwards I guess, into the brought-about-by-popular-demand continuation of... THE TROUBLE WITH GENOS!

It wasn't going very well.

(Y/N) scurried in the door of the apartment block, the paper bag of goceries clutched tightly to her breath was ragged, heart pounding like crazy as shetook the cracked and filthy stairs two at a time. The shopping was precariously held aloft while she impatiently fiddled with the key, dropping it in her haste, muttering profanities as she bent to pick it up. A soft BOOM rocked the building, making the head of cauliflower at the top wobble, roll and -

"Shit!" You dropped the key to catch it, batting it upwards frantically with your hand, somehow managing to get it back into the bag, shove the picked-up key into the keyhole and force your way into the gloomy apartment just before another, stronger shockwave tripped your legs and sent them stumbling. But it was alright now; the food was safe.

"I can put them down here, then I'll unpack them later with Saitama-san once they're finished outside," You muttered to yourself, dropping the bag onto the counter and opening a cupboard, muttering on. "In the meantime, I can make myself a cup of tea, _finally_. Haven't had one since breakfast."

You smile grimly to yourself before finally allowing yourself to relax. A cocked ear kept a hear-out for the other apartment members, of who there were no signs. The sounds of battle had ceased: All was quiet. They must be finis-

CRASH!

A figure came hurtling through the outside wall, only stopping when they'd slammed into the counter and spilled rubble all over your shopping. You screamed, first in fright, then in indignation as the figure pushed themself up and took a step towards you, afterburners glowing.

"(Y/N)!" Genos' voice ordered, dusting himself off, ignoing the ruined paper spilling its grocery guts under the bricks and concrete which were sloughing off of him like minilanches, not noticing your face turn red with self-righteous rage. "Are you-"

"My shopping!" (Y/N) raged shrilly, vocal cord working again. Genos' olfactory senses picked up the unmistakeable smells of crushed carrots, mangled mangetout and bloody beef steaks, his mechanical eyes noting her body language, pick-up of heart rate and heat signature. She's upset, he noted, all while she was giving him that accusatory look, the one that made him feel uncomfortably aware of his respiratory and cardiac functions increasing in both shame and... He frowned. What was the word that Sensei had used to describe it? Oh yes, that one.

"-Completely crushed it! Genos, I bought that specially and you've just - _ohh_ , I can't even _deal_ with you right now!"

Genos tuned back in again to catch the end of (Y/N)'s rant just as she made a screaming growl, slapping her thigh, turning away and throwing her hands up into the air in that irritated manner which from his past experience (i.e all of one month's worth) was used to convey an overall meaning of "I cannot believe that you could have been so stupid!" in physical terms. He felt hurt that she wans't glad to see him safe and, well, annoyed that she hadn't noticed how he had rushed to her aid after having learned that one of the creatures had escaped their attentions.

"I was asking if you were alright," he responded dully, picking pieces of plaster fom his joints and flicking them away. "One of them escaped our administrations. I was making sure that it had not followed you. I did not mean to crush the vegetables."

"Who crushed what?" Saitama stood in his usual slouch in the doorway, peering in and scratching his nose. His curiosity was cruelly sated when his gaze caught by the corner of a lonely cabbage leaf, poking out from under the rubble that heavily dusted most of the living area. His face changing to one of dismay, he rushed over and started tossing bricks out of the new gap in the wall in an effort to save the food. "Ohh, (Y/N)-san bought groceries? Maybe some are still salvageable..."

"There was beef in there too," she muttered sullenly, crossing her arms and pouting. Genos' synthetic skin couldn't blush, but if it could then he would be a light shade of magenta. _So cute..._ "I was going to cook steak and onions, but it'll all be ruined now because somebody couldn't use the front door..."

"I have already apologised, (Y/N)-san! What more can I do to show you my contrition!?" She flinched back slightly as Genos snapped before the colour flooded back to her cheeks and she averted her gaze. Genos felt ashamed of himself, then gave out for feeling ashamed _. I have already apologised. It is she who is in the wrong!_

Nonetheless...

"Heey, Genos-kun!" Saitama triumhantly held a completely-unharmed head of cauliflower aloft, grinning. "Ahaa, I know exactly what we can do with this! Cauliflower puffs, here we come!"

The young girl gave a snort of derision, grabbing the unharmed veg from Saitama's hand. "No way Hosé! There's so much more that you can do with it that won't ruin the crunch and will preserve the flavour!" She rushed over to another cupboard, dragged something out and heaved it up onto the uncovered countertop with huff. "I give you the VEGETABLE STEAMER! Spuds go in the bottom, greens in the top. let it boil away and PRESTO!"

She stood back, panting slightly, wiping the hair that had fallen across her face in her exuberance back out of her eyes so that she could smirk at the One Punch Man. "Whaddaya think?"

Saitama stared thoughtfully at the device for a second, scratching his chin. "Hmm... Yeah, I can see where you're going with that, (Y/N). Maybe we can try-"

"I disagree." Suddenly Genos was in front of you and plucking the pilfered produce from your suddenly-nerveless fingers. It was all that you could do to stop yourself from squeaking, heartbeat thumping irrhythmetically through your quaking chest.

 _He moves so fast!-_

Genos didn't look at you; instead he half-turned his body away from you and looked towards a bemused Saitama. "Sensei, if we were to stir-fry this vegetable with some of the other whole ones in that bag, we could save ourselves water and the energy needed to constantly boil it, at the same time making a nourishing and healthy meal to which we could add ramen or udon noodles, thus using up resources close to their best-before date." He delivered all this in a clipped, factual tone, and somehow you knew, you just _knew_ that this was payback for your whingeing. He then turned to finally glance down at you, competition burning in his golden eyes. "This way it will also preserve the flavour and the crunch that you worry so much about."

 _Ouch_. You visibly jerked, anger attempting to rip open every fibre of your challenge-hungry heart. Genos still matched you, glare for glare, and you were about to retort when something in his... his stance, his confident posture, made you bite it back, force you to relax the tensed-up muscles, uncurl the fists, smile sweetly up at him and tap his cheek. "I'll leave you to it then, Masterchef. I yield to your better judgement... for now."

You laughed at his sudden, inelegant jump, heading towards the living area. "Prove that you can hold your word, Wonderbot." You called back over your shoulder. Genos made a shocked "Tch!" noise behind your back as you sat down, pulled your notebook over towards you and began to scribble furiously away in it, oblivious to the stare that should have made you turn around again to face the young cyborg, that _should_ have made you turn around and give him that cheeky, "I-see-what-you-did-there" look that he both admired and disliked.

Scribble _-"Genos wanted a confrontational cook-off to occur - possible cause desire to prove himself? Disliked comment on him crushing food. Guilt? Hurt? Why hurt: Mentioned monster still out there - concern for my wellbeing - Me not concerned for his concern - hypothesis about emotions of G. correct?"_ Scribble, scribble, scribble. _"Cook-off could have allowed readministration of hierarchal circles i.e me under him - Protection? Obedience? Poss. Love - look into that later..."_

She was really, really making something inside of his metallic flesh burn.

Her insolence! Her competitive attitude! Her - Genos threw the sliced parsnip into the wok and reached for another, sullen. Her ridiculous, childish whining. He couldn't take anymore of this thing inside of his chest: He had to let it out before it exploded.

Genos did it in one of the few ways he knew how: Analysis.

She didn't realise that he had been deeply concerned for her welfare: Point one.

She then went on to criticise his so-called rash actions which had been in defence of said welfare by giving out to him: Point two.

She began muttering about him in Sensei's hearing to spread word of his misdeeds and to possibly emotionally manipulate him: Point three...

Genos glared at the chopping board, reaching for another vegetable.

How could someone even manage to do that to his feelings so easily, let alone have the heart to continue on doing it to them! It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair that she had gone out shopping without telling him or Sensei, it wasn't fair that she rejected his protection, his affection, his-

"Genos-kun? Genos-kun, you're chopping air..." Saitama waved a hand in front of the cyborg's face, looking at him in wide-eyed concern. Genos stopped chopping and bowed his head in acknowledgement, unable to look Saitama in the face. He had disappointed Sensei.

The bald hero gave him a look, glancing over to where Genos' gaze had strayed: The furiously scribbling young teenager on the floor, her back bowed away from them. He made the link, and patted his disconsolate sidekick on the shoulder. "Cheer up, Genos-kun," he half-whispered, cheerfully. "You two'll be friends again by morning, you'll see."

Genos ripped his eyes away from his oblivious object and desperately attempted to focus on the matter at hand: Dinner.

(Y/N) placed her chopsticks neatly by the side of her bowl and smacked her lips, raising her eyes thoughtfully to the ceiling while she chewed. "Hmm," she pondered, finally swallowing the last mouthful before looking slyly over at Genos. "Not bad... for someone who supposedly has no tastebuds," she added, her notebook back in her hand in a flash. She bent her head over it, flicked back several pages and scrawled something in a long way down the page. "Taste... buds," she muttered, leaning back. "Huh, this list grows by the day..."

"What list?" He asked stiffly, stacking up the bowls and chopsticks for later cleaning. The young lady threw a sly glance at him from under her eyelashes. An electric current tingled across his metal skin at it.

"It's my list of your abnormalities. You remember?" She pressed, leaning forward towards him, eyes glittering with mischief. She poked him with the tip of her pen. "When I pretty much ranted at you all day about your hypocritical components? Like how you can feel it if I do _this_ and _this_ or _this_ -" She reached out a hand, trailing her fingers over his bicep, his chin, tapping his nose. It was all that he could do not to close his eyes whilst the inexplicably-heightened sensation burned its way into his very core-

"Genos?" She frowned, a little wrinkle appearing between her eyebrows. "You are feeling alright, aren't you?" He was stiff as a board, his expression fixed, mouth slightly open before he jerked suddenly and rose, busily collecting the plates. "I am perfectly fine, I assure you," he mumbled, whipping around and near-running into the kitchen with them.

You glanced at Saitama, who made a loveheart with his hands and winked. Your eyes widened, and you covered your mouth with both hands for fear that you might scream.

 _He_ _ **does**_ _like me!-_

Saitama then pressed a hasty finger to his lips and jerked his head in Genos' direction before rising himself and stretching. "Ohh, that was a good meal, Genos-kun. But it's getting late. I'll do the dishes, if you like."

"I'm fine, Sensei," Genos' muffled voice called back. Saitama paused, doubtful.

"You sure? Alright then."

"Saitama-san, I'm just, uh, going to get changed," you said, then quickly got your stuff and headed to the bathroom.

Genos took his head out from under the teatowel where he had hidden it in his disgrace to hide his heat signature radiating from his face and sighed. He glanced at the dishes. Once they were done, he could -

 ** _"KYYAAAAAHH!"_**

He'd never moved so fast in the flat in his life. Genos rushed for the bathroom door, blasting it down with a force that was guaranteed to cause the minimal harm to (Y/N) trapped inside, and didn't hesitate.

He moved past the half-naked, terrified girl and grabbed the slimy green tentacled monster that had climbed up the toilet, blew its brains out and flushed the mess away, all within the space of a few seconds. His nostrils flared with rage, glower cold as the very depths of Hell as he glared down the now-clean toilet, closing the lid before turning to pull the shaking girl into his arms and bury his synthetic face into her hair.

"You're safe now. You're safe." He murmured it over and over again, closing his eyes, letting her shivers die away, letting the built-up fear in his stomach drain away. "You're safe, (Y/N)."

She was silent for a while, the heat of her body (Which was scantily-clad in a towel) soak through him. Then:

"Don't even think about moving."

"I'm quite happy where I am," he reassured her, voice somewhat faint. She cleared her throat.

"It's not that... It's just that, when you grabbed me, my towel sort of got pulled down at the front."

His hope for her affection burst like a balloon, Genos deflated somewhat, until she stopped him, quickly adding, "I didn't want to say anything because this was sort of... um, nice... but I..." She looked up at him imploringly. "I really need to pee."

WELL That was a bitch to write at MIDNIGHT BEFORE I GO BACK TO THE HELL OF THE LEAVING VERT EIGHT WEEKENDS UNTIL THE EXAMS BEGIN AND I WON'T BE ABLE TO SLEEP NOW BUT IT'S ALL FOR YOU GUYS AHAHAHAHAA

sorry. I won't be updating until late June (When my exams end) so you'll have to make do with the knowledge that I will probably, hopefully be continuing on with this, leave a yes/no comment as to whether you want more and I accept requests?

ScathachBan out ;)


	3. Kidnapped?

"Hey... Hey, mister ninja guy! Can I go home now?"

Sonic glanced back at his hostage, swinging her feet cheerfully so that they hit the rock that she was sitting on with a rhythmic **tunk, tunk,** **tunk.** The back of his neck prickled. She was really beginning to get on his nerves.

"Shut up or I'll kill you." She just grinned and kept swinging her bound legs, shifting slightly . He hoped that the ropes were cutting into her flesh. He took out his katana, lovingly polishing it's metal gleam. " unless you want Saita-san to arrive to a pile of your cut up flesh. "

"Are you ok? You've got a creepy smile on your face." _This guy is insane_ , you thought, frowning and leaning forward as far as your ropes would allow. Saitama is way too strong for him, he should have figured that out by now... Was he actually from a ninja village, like he said? He looked it. Or was he just another one of those petty, mindless enemies of Saitama's, the ones that thought that they were oh-so-tough because they wore a tank top or they had a special move or something? It seemed as though that's what he used to be, but now he didn't act like it. He acted pretty professionally, actually, now that you thought about it. The way he moved. His expressionless expression. Ergo, he either wanted something from Saitama, or he wanted revenge.

 _I really wish I had my notebook with me._

"What's your name then?" She enquired, just as Sonic was getting himself into one of his frequent black, stormy Saita- san will die by my hand moods. Irritated, he glared at her in an effort to stop her voice. All that She did was return it with a look of bright-eyed interest. Dappled green shade of the forest at the edge of Z-city fell over her face, over the grass. The back of his neck prickled.

"Mister ninja guy?"

"Shut up," he stated. Sonic cocked his head to listen. Something was here, something was making him stand on edge, but at this rate it could have been the girl 's incessant annoyance.

He'd told the bald bastard in the ransom note that the girl would still be alive.

"I need to go to the bathroom."

He'd never said that she'd be unharmed though...

He sneered. _Pathetic._ "Go in your panties, bitch." His hand twitched for a shuriiken. He felt the cold, sharp metal just his palm. What the hell, she'd make good target practice. He twisted his wrist with a flick and -

"Knickers, not panties."

\- missed completely.

Sonic stared at her, his eyes completely passing over the split free bark two inches from her head. An emotion which he hadn't felt since the Saitama incident welled up, paused, and spilled over inside of him: shock, incredulity. _She didn't even flinch!_ "What did you say?"

"Knickers," she repeated, giving him a stern look. "Not panties." She pursed her lips, looking away. "That's an Americanism. It's like calling scones biscuits and biscuits cookies. It's ridiculous. "

She said it with such a clipped, precise finality.

"What the hell are you even talking about!?"

Sonic watched.

Sonic listened.

After the hostage grew to be too uncomfortable to even talk, he cut the ropes and let her... Ahem, perform the necessary ablutions. He kept a rope around her wrist though. It wasn't needed. She came back willingly anyway, eager to talk, eager to discuss. Eager to teach.

Soon Sonic was surprised to discover how eager he was to learn.

 _This is pretty bad,_ was the vague thought that was stimulated in the One Punch Man's brain by the ransom note which was pinned so carelessly to the door with a - his forehead creased - What did you call them, ninja tool, looked like a wheel on steroids, he'd seen them in some Sengoku period anime... Or was it Naruto? Hmm...

"Sensei, I managed to make the sale just in time and bought all of the peppers that were left, just like you - where's (Y/N)?" Genos glanced around after carefully stacking the grocery bags on the newly-repaired counter. He knew that she sometimes liked to go for walks by herself (And, though he'd never admit this to her, he followed her to make sure that she would be alright, and now knew her route off by core) but he'd never once seen her leave her beloved notebook behind. His state-of-the-art lenses zoomed in on different points, noting the new scratches in the floor, the hole in the door, the signs of struggle...

The way that Sensei was looking at him didn't bode well, either.

Genos stared at the ransom note that the caped baldy have him. His synthetic face went blank; a sign of a deep inner struggle. Saitama watched all of this with interest. Poor Genos.

The cyborg's head whipped up, his nostrils flaring as he glared at his master. "Sensei, Sonic has kidnapped (Y/N)!"

"Yup. He wants a battle." Saitama thought for a moment. " Again. "

Genos felt like shaking the caped crusader by the shoulders in his anxiety. Worry blossomed inside of him for the young lady in their care: what if she was hurt, crying, and needed somebody to repair her? She could be tied up, gagged, bound, tossed into a corner and forgotten about... His fists curled. What if she's being used for a man's pleasure?

If that was the case, then Genos would make sure that they wouldn't live to see sunset.

"Well, we'd best get going." Saitama fastened on his belt and headed for the door. " this guy says he's somewhere in the forest, so... "

Reluctantly, the fear making his metal skin crawl, Genos followed.

"E-4."

" Miss. A-3. "

"Miss."

"You're pretty good at this, you know. For a ninja." the hostage's back was warm against his . She shifted slightly, placing a marker on one of her spaces. Sonic smirked, poring over the crude squares etched into the soft earth in front of him. where to aim next...

"Keh," he snorted. A part of him wanted to turn around and see if she really was smiling, like he thought. He 'd found out that she had a pretty smile. Very pretty indeed, even though it wasn't a patch on the way that she laughed. She was the most amusing hostage he'd ever had the displeasure to come across. He fingered the stone in his hand, his eyes landing on a likely looking spot. A smirk flashed across his lips as his eyes gleamed. "This game is easy to one as skilled as me." The stone thunder into the square. " Now, A-4! "

"Ouch, sunk a battleship!" ( Y/N) winced slightly against him - and laughed, a wonderful, rolling thing which shuddered through her small body like a landslide. The pleasure which he felt at it couldn't be contained. Wonderful. She was strange in the way that the sea was strange to someone in a landlocked country. She was like ice-cream to a child in summer.

Sonic was beginning to wish that Saitama would never arrive.

His mind wandered, while she chattered at his back. Yes, he mused, he could get used to having her around. Her laughter. Her smile. Maybe even...

 ** _Someone's here._**

The back of his neck pricked again, and he dodged the blow just in time.

Crap! He cursed. Saita-san was here now; come to take away his prize. He glanced quickly around, saw the cyborg that always hung around with the bastard - and felt the scowl pull the corners of his mouth down. It's not even my enemy, but my enemy's pet. Looks like I'm going to have to take him down first -

"Genoooos! You messed up the game board!"

"A game!?" Genos demanded. Anger flared in his electronic eyes as he knelt down beside you , but the rope around your wrist. His gaze burned holes into the back of your brain as he growled, "You were kidnapped. Bound up like an animal, when who knows what could have happened, and you're worried about a GAME!?"

You reach out your hands. Wrap them around his shoulders, pulling yourself into him. "I'm sorry, Genos-kun, but I was waiting for hours and it got so boring... "

Sonic's eye twitched. The cyborg was - he was - it -

 _He's stealing my prize from under me!_

"Hey!" He hollered, flipping back down to the ground and crouching, catlike. He glared daggers at the cyborg, holding you in his arms, and spat, " You stay away from her,you worthess piece of scrap metal! "

"You kidnapped her." The so-called scrap metal flexed his fist, lifting it from the girl 's hip, his eyes cold. "For that, you shall be eliminated." The centre of his palm opened up and glowed, preparing to fire, and all that Sonic did was laugh.

"As if you could give her anything! " he shouted. He gestured at himself, then smirked. "I bet that you can't give her a night worth remembering the way I can. In fact, I don't think you even have a cock."

Genos tensed, about to retort, when -

"Sonic, you take that back RIGHT NOW! Genos, I want ice cream and the shops will be closing soon so BRING ME THERE RIGHT NOW! DO YOU HEAR ME!?"

\- You screamed at the top of your lungs, never taking your eyes off Sonic the whole time. He stated back, eyes full of something you didn't understand, then he threw a knife at Genos, who caught it.

"This isn't over," he stated, before vanishing into the trees.

You looked at the place where he'd been for a while, panting. Genos opened his mouth to say something, but before he could you clapped a hand over his mouth without looking up. "Ice cream. Now. I mean it."

Genos resigned himself to the fact that he would get no answers until your cravings for cold fluffy deliciousness had been satisfied. Slinging you up, he activated his rear trustees and took off into the dying sun, watched by the seething ninja from the cover of the trees.

"She'll be mine," he vowed, staring after the departing couple. His fist clenched around his sword-hilt until it was white and trembling. A slow, terrible smile slit its way across his wolflike visage until he resembled the Cheshire cat. "I'll take her from your rusting body, tin man."

"Saitamaaaa~"

"Sensei, the kidnapper was quite -"

"Ohhh, (Y/N)! Why are you eating so much tonight? you had three ice cream earlier... "

"I'm starving! "

The normal nighttime conversation soon filled the flat, followed by the sound, late at night, of a pen. It's better to write than to forget.

Scribble scribble scribblescriblescribble scritch.

"Sonic... Nice, but disillusioned... Genos thought threat... Poss. To rel. status? Look into that later.."

You're home again, safe and sound.


End file.
